Kicking Off
by karly05
Summary: Fairly New Sweethearts Ferb & Vanessa chat about some delicate and possibly touchy subjects. Prequel to "Warming Up," so you know where it's headed; mind the T rating. My usual F/V sweetness, but read the A/N inside.


**A/N – Pay attention to the T rating. This is a sort of "prequel" to "Warming Up," and the same advisories regarding mature subject matter apply. I am opening a big can of worms with this, and I'm certain not everyone will like or agree with how I'm dealing with the religious issues. My answer is simply, there's no real canon to work with here, and it is the variety of views in the fandom that keeps things interesting. Dan and Swampy own the characters. I also want to give a shout-out to Desdemona Kakalose and her wonderful Doof story, "A Skewed Sense of 'Fine'" for its inspiring depiction of Church in Drusselstein.**

Kicking Off

It was five days until Christmas, and well past dark. Danville Park was covered in a flaky crust of snow that glittered under a sparkling canopy of stars. The playground stood deserted, except for two figures, coated and scarved against the cold, who occupied a pair of swings. They were much larger than the children usually found there during the day, and their boots trailed on the ground as they idly propelled themselves backward and forward in small, gentle arcs. Black leather gloves gripping the chains of her swing, the young woman leaned back and looked up at the sky, starlight reflecting in her indigo eyes.

"Do you believe in God?"

"Of course," said the slim, teenage boy in the other swing, green hair protruding from under his knit cap.

"Really?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow as she glanced at him.

"Well," Ferb mused, "not necessarily a Big Bearded Chap in the Sky, but yes. I think there must be something bigger than us. Otherwise, what's the point?" He dug a toe in the churned mix of snow and sand and gave himself a push.

She pulled herself upright and dangled in place as she said, in a vaguely amused tone, "I thought you were all science-y and intellectual."

"God and science can coexist, you know." Pumping his long legs, he swung a bit higher. "Despite what some would have you believe."

Vanessa began to turn herself in a circle, winding the chains above her head. "Do you go to church?"

"Occasionally. Why all the questions?" He observed her with curiosity, allowing his swing to slow its motion.

"I don't know," she continued to rotate herself. "We've been dating since Thanksgiving, and I've known you how long, and we've never really talked about this stuff."

"Do you believe in God?" he turned the question back toward her.

"I guess," she shrugged. "I mean, it's not something I think about a lot, but…"

"But you're thinking about it now."

Deciding she had wound herself tight enough, Vanessa drew up her knees and released the swing, pirouetting until the chain wrapped itself in the other direction and sent her revolving back to where she had started.

"My Mom's family is super strict," she explained. "At least on the outside. They're not from Danville, and I don't know them well; my Mom kind of cut things off with them after the divorce. They were all over her about the divorce," Vanessa grumbled. "Mom says they're a bunch of hypocrites, all pious and preachy to everyone else, but I guess at home her parents fought and cheated and made each other miserable. But they stayed married because they said divorce would be a sin. More like it would make them look bad, says Mom." Vanessa's eyes were on her boots as she twisted the swing back and forth slightly. "Thanks to them, I don't think she believes in much of anything now. In terms of religion, I mean."

"I don't suppose your father does, either," Ferb speculated. After all, the man did own a corporation with the word EVIL in the name.

"Actually, you'd be surprised," Vanessa smiled as she turned her face toward him. "Of course, he's Church of Drusselstein, and they're kind of… different. You know about the Reformation? Well, Drusselstein kind of reformed in their own direction. They're Christian, but they still believe in trolls and…" Her voice trailed off as she searched for another example.

Ferb grinned as he quoted, "Ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night?"

"Yeah, that," Vanessa chuckled. "And the magic power of Lawn Gnomes. Dad still goes to Christmas and Easter services with Grandma every year. I go with him, sometimes."

"That's a long way to go for church," Ferb noted.

"Not really, it's just down in the warehouse district." Vanessa began to swing herself again.

"Oh." Ferb followed her example, and the two swung in counterpoint to each other. "There's a Drusselsteinian Church in Danville?" How had he never known this?

"Yeah, Saint Blomgunde's. It's like one of the oldest stone buildings in town. It's down by 3rd and Commerce; my Dad owns the Abandoned Self-Storage around the corner. It's just a tiny little place, and Father Wendelgurt is like ninety-nine years old or something. It leaks, and it smells like goats, and I don't think they've ever had more than twenty people in there at once. The services go on and _on_," she groaned, "and a lot of the liturgy is in Drusselsteinian, and the hymns are really depressing. But, I was Christened there, and I guess I still have a soft spot for it. Ferb," she said now, casting a sly look at him, "why is it that whenever I ask you something, I end up doing all the talking?"

He gave her a deliberately innocent smile and a shrug. Frankly, he'd discovered long ago that it didn't take much to prompt Vanessa to start rambling – she was a bit like her father in that regard – but he never tired of listening to her. And it was nice to know that she found it easy to open up to him.

"So, where do you go to church?" she asked him. "When you go."

"St. James, downtown. I think it's the other 'oldest stone building in Danville.' I'm still nominally Anglican. Episcopalian, as you call it here."

"Only 'nominally'?" Vanessa prompted.

This time it was Ferb who rocked back in the swing and turned his face to the stars. "I do love the traditions of it. The structure, and history. I was Christened into the good old C of E, of course. And I do still consider myself Christian. But I'm definitely more toward the liberal side when it comes to certain matters."

"Such as?" Vanessa twisted the swing sideways to face him, then dug in her heels and held it there.

Ferb glanced at her, trying to guess at her reaction, before he warned, "You'll think I'm getting ahead of myself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she wondered, intrigued by his tone.

"I'm not speaking of us, specifically, you understand," he hedged. "These are my general opinions. But…" he sat up and gave himself a little push, swinging slowly as he explained. "Eighteen is far too young to marry. For most people in this day and age, at least. And I have no intention of remaining celibate into my twenties." His eyes flickered briefly toward hers before he concentrated on making a bigger arc with the swing, deliberately avoiding further contact.

Vanessa began winding her swing in a circle again, looking down at her feet as she remarked, "I wouldn't expect you to."

Ferb watched her as she stopped turning and lifted her feet, spinning the swing. Dragging his heels, he brought himself to a halt and waited for her to finish twisting back and forth before he asked, in what he hoped was a calm, steady voice: "What are your views on intimacy?"

She chuckled as she retorted, with a sly look, "You mean, 'When can we have sex?'"

"That's not what I said," Ferb defended himself.

"Ferb Fletcher," Vanessa giggled, "you are five shades of red!" Trying to smother her laughter, she gave a little choke and a snort.

This rendered her so adorable in his eyes, he had to stifle a laugh, himself, but he insisted, "I wasn't trying to…"

"Of course you weren't," she cooed indulgently.

"I simply asked…"

"You're so cute when you start blathering," Vanessa wrinkled her nose at him.

"I'm not blathering," Ferb gave her a sharp but good-humored look. "It's a legitimate question."

She turned her face away and gave the swing a good push. As she rocked higher, she declared, "Well, I don't believe in falling into bed with just anyone. It would have to be someone I loved, and trusted, and was really committed to."

"Of course," Ferb sat still in the swing, turned to face her, as she flew higher. "Exactly what I was thinking."

"And you're absolutely right," Vanessa added. "Eighteen is way too young to get married. So…" she pumped more gently, and let the swing slowly return her to earth, "I guess the real answer is…" As she came to a stop, she reached out and took his hand, and her eyes shone straight into his. "Whenever you're ready."

He said nothing as his chest visibly rose and fell beneath his coat. At length, he managed to speak. "Vanessa… you know I love you."

She picked up on his anxiety and assured him, "I'm not pushing. I mean, you're sixteen, it's okay if you're not ready yet…"

"Oh, I'm ready," Ferb muttered, at least one or two of the five shades of red creeping back into his cheeks. "But… The logistics are a bit of an issue."

He didn't have to explain, and Vanessa sighed as she let go of his hand. "Yeah, you live with your parents, I'm either at my mom's or my dad's…" She bit off a sharp, painful chuckle. "I can just imagine someone walking in on us."

"Like your father," Ferb shuddered, visions of deadly _Inators_ dancing in his head.

"I was thinking more like Phineas," Vanessa confessed, with a shudder of her own. "We'd scar him for life."

"Or else he'd start taking notes," Ferb warned. "'Hm, that looks like fun, I wonder if Isabella would like that.'"

"Oh, gosh, Ferb," the giggles attacked her again as he mimicked his brother's cheery tone, "don't even start! I do not want to go there!"

"Nor do I," he laughed, pushing aside the unwelcome thoughts with a shake of his head.

"You know what we should do," she changed the subject. "You should drive up to Ackerton some weekend, once I'm back in school. Just for the day. We could spend the afternoon at my place." She gave him a suggestive look.

"I'd buy you lunch," he offered, latching on to this idea.

"You don't have to buy me lunch," she countered.

Ferb held up a finger to staunch this debate. "Uh-uh! We weren't going to argue about that, remember? Seriously, though, I like the idea. It may sound unromantic, but frankly, I'd appreciate a chance to plan ahead. 'Be Prepared,' as the motto goes." Now he really was blathering. "I do believe strongly in protection," he added, as if this wasn't clear. "'An ounce of prevention,' and all that."

"Yeah, I'll bet you guys got a good talking to after Candace got pregnant," she guessed. "Don't worry, I've got that covered, too. Believe it or not, Mom got me started on birth control when I was fifteen. It's not like I was even doing anything," Vanessa defended herself. "But I got the whole speech about how she 'didn't have her head in the sand when it came to teenagers,' and there would be no excuse if I came home pregnant. It was _the_ most embarrassing conversation I have ever had with her. But she did have a point," Vanessa conceded. "A girl can't be too careful."

Ferb paused now with a thoughtful expression, then said, "Vanessa – I've never asked you – and I need you to be completely honest with me – How do you feel about children? Having them, I mean? Or," he faltered, "am I getting ahead of myself again?"

"I'd love to have a couple, someday," she assured him. "I'd like to finish my degree first, and get started on a career, but I figure by the time you're done with college, we'd be—" This time it was her turn to blush, as she said, "Well, I'm assuming this is going to be a long-term thing with us."

"The longest." With a smile, half shy, half seductive, Ferb reached out and gripped the chains of Vanessa's swing. He pulled the two of them together, face to face, and leaned in to meet her in a tender kiss, before he said teasingly, "Unless you get bored with me."

"Not in a million years," Vanessa insisted, her hands on his chains as they held the closeness and kissed again. Touching her forehead to his, she promised: "Whatever happens between us, I can guarantee it won't be boring."

THE END


End file.
